Bluebonnet
by Lilly The Late
Summary: Conspiracies and one-night stands and babies, oh my! Takahashi Rin's life is tough but she's intent on succeeding in the coffee/pastry business. She won't let anything deter her from getting what she wants...not even an unplanned pregnancy. [KohaRin][SessRin][SessAya][KouAya][InuKag] [Kdrama/Telenovela esque] [Rated M for Language and future Mature Themes]
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my name is Lilly and I'm hesitantly beginning a new story about Sesshomaru and Rin, ahaha. I've attempted to write about this couple before but it was several years ago and I have developed greatly as an author and as a person since then and no longer identify with that story. Thus, I've began writing a new one (because I really do love this couple so much) that I hope I can stay committed to it. Thank you for your interest and I hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

* * *

"I find it hard to believe that you've never had two men fighting over you," Higurashi Kagome declared while waving her spatula in shock. "You're so hot!"

"Okay, that's a lie! I'm nothing special and also lowkey fat." Takahashi Rin stated firmly, ignoring Kagome's dramatized gasp of horror. "I'm not drop dead gorg like you."

"Alright, but that's a fucking lie," Kagome snapped. She slapped her bowl of batter with her spatula, causing it to go flying all over her black apron. "Your lips are so pouty and your eyes look like they belong to a bunny. You're the most beautiful person I know, babe."

Rin rolled her eyes and grinned, "You know, like, three people, Kags- and that's not counting your parents." Kagome threw a towel at Rin, a laugh bubbling at her lips.

The clock struck 6am and Rin grabbed the towel off the ground before shuffling to the door. Sighing as she gazed out into the October dawn, she unlocked the door to the cafe with the flick of the key.

"Good morning, dawn," She breathed against the glass then used her index finger to draw a small heart in the condensation. Smiling, she patted the door frame and caused the little bell above it to tinkle. "Good morning, La Belle." Rin's little morning ritual, she felt, blessed the cafe she ran with her best friend.

La Belle Cafe was a small cafe, but Rin loved it like it was her child. When Kagome had asked Rin if she was interested in opening a shop with her, Rin was elated. Thus, Higurashi Kagome and Takahashi Rin took out a formidable loan and opened up a cute little coffee shop right smackdab in the middle of the busiest street in the city. Rin made great coffee and was extremely artistic and Kagome made delicious (but somewhat ugly- hence, the need for Rin's decorating talent) food; they were truly a match made in heaven and the fact that they were still up and coming (despite the fact that they had been open for about eight months) meant that business was...well, slow. Still, Kagome and Rin started the day early with smiles and optimism.

"Let's start the music!" Kagome sang, taking time from her batter-stirring to play the pair's favorite song on their sad '90s boombox. The sweet melody of "Hey Jude" filled the cafe with feelings of warmth and brought a smile to Rin's face. She snatched a broom as her partner and waltzed across the floor, her favorite red converse squeaking on the immaculate tiles. Kagome stirred with gusto as she belted out the song at full volume. So loud was she, that the gentle tinkle of the bell went unnoticed by the women till, suddenly, hands were wrapping around Rin and pulling her away from her broom partner and into the capable arms of a human partner.

The split second of panic Rin felt was immediately replaced with delight when she caught the heart melting gaze of her boyfriend- Furukawa Kohaku. Squealing with delight she hugged his shoulders as he swung her around the cafe. As the song came to a close, Kohaku dramatically dipped Rin and kissed her square in the mouth.

Kagome, stirring with perhaps more gusto than before, whistled obscenely, "Just fuck already! Right there, on my clean-ass floors!"

Kohaku snorted and righted Rin with a dramatic sweep, "Nah, I'm worried I might catch something; it was your turn to clean up last night, right?" Rin chortled and Kagome proceeded to look deeply offended.

"I'll have you know," She said, pointing with her batter-covered spatula. "that my floor-cleaning technique is one used by all masters of spic and span. My floors are cleaner than you are, you little turd!"

Kohaku took a bow and winked before turning his attention to Rin, who had been watching this exchange with a grin the size of the Asian continent, "Good morning, dawn. Good morning, La Belle," leaning down, he kissed Rin's nose tenderly. "Good morning, Rin." Kohaku knew Rin like the back of his hands so he knew about her little morning blessing. In fact, he had adopted the routine and often greeted Rin with it.

"Good morning," Rin chirped. "Are you making rounds today, honey?" Just as Kohaku knew Rin, Rin knew Kohaku. The two had been inseparable since Kagome had introduced them in college and their romance had been going strong for four years now- they had weathered through the police academy, business school, and the death of parents...most relationships, Rin had observed, did not survive through such tough circumstances. But she and Kohaku had more than a relationship; they had a partnership. They were best friends, thick as thieves, and understood one another perfectly. Rin was dedicated to the concept of fate, of fairy tale weddings and love at first sight. With Kohaku, she felt she was living the fairy tales she had read about as a child. He was her best friend, her partner in crime, and someone she saw herself spending the rest of her life with. They charted stars in each other's eyes and when they kissed, it felt like fireworks were going off. The universe could not have made a more perfect couple.

"Yeah," Kohaku murmured. "Living the exciting life of a beat cop. Isn't it glamorous, babe?"

Rin stroked his face and pouted, "Aw c'mon...don't lose hope- they'd be stupid not to promote you to detective soon." When Rin gazed at Kohaku, she saw no imperfections; he was taller than her- 5'10" to her measly 5'3", well-built as a cop should be, and rough in a way that made her heart pound in her chest. He was an honorable policeman; dedicated to his job and honest down to his very core. Thus, she could see no reason why Kohaku shouldn't be promoted to detective. She had given him a true and realistic response.

"Right back at you-and you, Kags. Don't lose hope in La Belle; she's got a certain charm that you can't find anywhere else." He smiled and kissed Rin's temple. Kohaku's favorite part of La Belle, his favorite part of life itself, was Rin. Her tendency to leave a mark on everything she touched was something Kohaku marveled at. He loved that about Rin; he loved everything about Rin- from her long dark hair, to her big doe eyes, her smattering of freckles, her curvy body, her dreamer's heart and trusting nature. The two saw no flaws in one another.

Kagome, however, could see a huge flaw: "You disgusting, adorable shitheads...alright Officer Corn, back offa my girl and let her give you your coffee so that you can give us your damn money." Rin giggled and pulled away from her uniformed boyfriend before ducking into the back to fetch him his coffee.

Rin's life was perfect on the outside...but perfect is either a mask or temporary, and in this case it was both. As soon as Kohaku left, Rin turned to Kagome helplessly, "We haven't made this month's payment, Kagome."

Kagome, who had moved to pouring batter into a muffin tin, paused and swallowed nervously, "I-I know. We'll need to tap into our savings."

Rin inhaled sharply, panic coiling like a terrible snake in her belly, "A-Again? Kags, I don't know how long we can carry this on."

"I know," Kagome said helplessly. "W-We haven't secured a steady clientele yet...but we will! I believe that with my whole heart, Rinny! I know we'll get a steady stream of customers soon; we just have to do a lot of promotions, catering, birthday parties- whatever it takes, babe."

Rin nodded; she believed in Kagome, she believed in her dream and she was willing to sacrifice anything to achieve it. Besides, Kagome was the only family she had and she had grown up hearing her talk about a pastry shop. She was determined to make Kagome's dream a reality, regardless of cost. Thus, she rolled up her sleeves and began working on the glaze for the muffins Kagome was baking. Rin was intent on perfect, intent on success.

* * *

On the other side of town, in a grand skyscraper that was perhaps more than one hundred times the value of La Belle, Taisho Sesshomaru was having quite a different morning. In fact, he had just found out that his father (world renowned multi-billionaire hotelier Taisho Katashi) had died on his trip to the Swiss alps...right before finding out that his wife had suffered a miscarriage. Needless to say, his life was now far from perfect.

Sesshomaru pressed his lips into a thin line as if he was focused on the important words of his lawyer, but his mind was elsewhere. How could so much grief befall him in just the last twenty-four hours? What had he done to incur the wrath of God? Sesshomaru had always been the good son; the obedient, dedicated, serious son who had donated his life to the service of his father's hotel line and managing the pride and joy of his hotel collection, Taisho Towers at the Beach. Yet, the universe had picked a fight with him and left him with sorrow upon sorrow- his mother had abandoned him at the age of six due to the incessant adultery of his father, he had been cursed with a younger half-brother who did nothing but cause trouble and tarnish the Taisho name, and he had been forced into a political marriage...and now, the death of a father and child.

"How much do the partners want?" he interrupted the attorney with a quiet rumble and a defeated sigh.

The lawyer stammered helplessly, "W-Well, th-they insist that...that you aren't suited to lead...lack of sympathy or something. They feel that they as the majority owners should receive your fathers' shares and take control of the Taisho Group. They will let you keep your shares, but you'd lose Taisho Towers." Kitahara Miroku sighed helplessly and massaged his temples. "And you know how your father was, Sesshomaru; he didn't exactly leave a proper will...what he left was suggestions written on a napkin in a bar while he was drunk off his ass; no disrespect."

"What does the will say?" Sesshomaru questioned quietly, looking up at Miroku with hard eyes.

Miroku made a noise of distress, "Do you ever listen to anything I say? I've gone through that already!"

"You'll excuse me if I'm distracted," Sesshomaru snapped, gritting his teeth. "my father just died, I don't know where my brother is, and Ayame suffered a miscarriage." His voice dropped on the name of his wife and remained low to the end of the sentence. Sesshomaru was keeping grief at bay, but it threatened to breach the confines of his heart. Swallowing and forcing himself to calm down he said, "Please give me a synopsis. I should be at the hospital right now."

Miroku had gone very white and he gently placed a hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder, despite knowing the dangers (Sesshomaru hated being touched out of turn), "I'm...truly sorry for your loss. You know I am, buddy...but you gotta buckle down and listen up or these sorry sons of bitches are gonna rob you of your legacy." Sesshomaru nodded deliberately. " Right, now, your father's "will" is actually just this," he held up a very ketchup and grease stained paper napkin. "Of course we have legitimate paper copies, but the original reads: 'In the event of my death, force my sons to get the fuck over each other and manage the business together. They've gotta triple revenue and retain 99% capacity at Taisho Towers a year after I'm dead or all my shares and all _their_ shares go by default to my wife, whoever that may be when I die...hopefully Angelina Jolie. A trust fund of 40 million dollars goes into existence as soon as I die for Sess' kid. Until my grandchild is 20, the money in the trust fund will be controlled by his mother. NOT HIS FATHER, ONLY HIS MOTHER. And I'll give my house in Moscow to my lady love, whoever that may be when I die...hopefully Jennifer Aniston.' As you can see, your father wasn't exactly sober when he wrote this, but every time I tried to get him to change it, he refused. According to him, this is perfect- which is obviously not right! Without even talking about his damn wife and that airhead mistress- I mean, 40 million is just ridiculous and now that...that Ayame has suffered a miscarriage there is no need for the trust- no disrespect- but there's no way around the will and….I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. I know you've got a lot on your plate right now but I need you to follow through on this. Where's your brother?"

Sesshomaru sighed and fell back against his chair, "I don't know. He didn't say where he was going." In fact, InuYasha hadn't even told Sesshomaru he was going anywhere; he had found out about his brother's disappearance when InuYasha had failed to show up to three board meetings, each two weeks apart. In fact, it appeared the man had been missing for at least six weeks. This was a fact Sesshomaru now repeated to Miroku.

Miroku reacted loudly, "WHAT? Your younger brother has been missing for _six weeks_ and you've made no effort to find him?"

Sesshomaru shrugged, "He's an adult. He will return when he's ready." Despite his cold response, Sesshomaru was actually a bit worried. InuYasha had disappeared before but never for this long. He guessed that it must have to do with his fiancee. InuYasha had been engaged to Mori Kikyou before her unfortunate death in an automobile accident about three months ago. InuYasha had withdrawn completely from everything- he stayed in his apartment and made no effort to reach out to anyone, especially not Sesshomaru.

Miroku sighed and looked to the heavens, "God, you Taishos are a piece of work...alright, go to the hospital to see your wife. Read through your contract and let me know what's in it to combat this shit from the board. I'll get Sango to look into what agreement Katashi had with those salty bastards."

At the mention of his secretary, Sesshomaru gave Miroku a pointed look, which the attorney pointedly ignored for a solid minute before he caved in and sighed loudly, "I haven't asked her yet, alright? Dammit, do you have any idea how hard it is to figure out how to ask someone if they wanna marry you? Well, actually, you and Ayame...but that was a political marriage so...A-Anyway, I don't know how to ask her. I love Sango but sometimes I wonder if my love is enough for her to say yes and I just get so scared and insecure." He sighed. "But that's not what's important right now. Go see Ayame."

Sesshomaru stood immediately, brushing off his blazer as a motion of finality. Nodding to Miroku, he immediately turned heel and left his office. On the way down to the lobby, it seemed to hit him that had he had lost his child. In his entire adult life, Sesshomaru had loved two things- Taisho Towers and his baby. He did not remember driving to the hospital, nor did he remember actually walking to his wife's hospital room. Yet, he found himself standing before the door, trying to figure out how to walk in. Inhaling deeply, he resigned himself to simply...walking in.

Ayame was gazing out the window, her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes were swollen and red and she trembled ever so slightly. Sesshomaru approached her cautiously. As he neared, he noticed her figure. Ayame had developed a small baby bump over the course of the past few months and it was less pronounced now and sat unlike a baby bump and more like extra weight. The sight was like a kick to Sesshomaru's gut. Swallowing, he gently touched Ayame's shoulder. There were a million things he wanted to say, but the words would not come. Instead, he stood silently, helplessly, unable to say what his wife needed to hear.

"I heard about Katashi," Ayame whispered, her voice ragged from crying. "When will the body be released to us?"

Sesshomaru inhaled softly and ignored inquiry about his father, "How are you?" Ayame looked at him, surprised. The hurt showed plain on her face.

Sesshomaru could not say that he had ever loved Ayame the way one is meant to love a wife, but he cared for her and had never wanted to see her hurt...yet, it seemed that was all he brought upon her...and now their baby, the only thing that had kept their marriage feeling more like a relationship and less like a contract, was gone. Gone. Sesshomaru felt the loss like a jagged knife in his abdomen. He had loved the child, his child, more than anything he had ever loved before.

"How do you think I am?" Ayame whispered, her voice shaking and tears brimming in her green eyes. "I...I was bleeding. I called you. Y-You were meeting with Miroku. Sango told me. I-I asked her to let you know. I drove myself to the hospital. The d-doctor said I wa- I was h-hemorrhaging." Her voice dropped in volume and she sobbed openly. "I needed you. I-I called f-for you."

No matter how hard Sesshomaru tried, the words would not come. He felt as if he'd been robbed of his ability to speak. Something inside felt broken. Something felt missing. He could not speak.

"A-And," Ayame continued tearfully. "You just...just come in here an hour, _an hour_ , after surgery t-to ask me _how I am_? D-Did you even care a-about th-the... the…" She could not speak the word 'baby', her voice broke. She clung to his sleeve and sobbed. "I know you don't love me, I-I know that. B-But I thought for sure that the...you cared about the...the... _I thought you cared._ But you're always so cold. Even now, you say n-nothing. You feel nothing." Her words stung. They stung. She did not know how Sesshomaru felt. She did not know the tearing feeling within him- she was simply unaware.

"I lost a part o-of myself, Sesshomaru. I l-lost...I can't...th-they took my b-baby," She stumbled over her words, her heart monitor speeding up considerably.

In the back of his mind, Sesshomaru knew she would hurt herself if she continued to stress herself so. His voice sounded as if he was hearing it as an outsider when he spoke, "Ayame, you need to calm down or you'll hurt yourself." He sounded calm, as if the turmoil within his soul refused to tint his words, actions, and expression. Sesshomaru had always been an impassive individual and he cursed that quality now.

She stared at him in shocked silence for a heartbeat before she gripped his sleeves violently and screamed, " _Do you know what they did? They removed my uterus! I can't have children, Sesshomaru! How dare you- how! How dare you tell me_ _ **calm down**_ _?!_ _ **How dare you!**_ " A panicked beeping had started and rose blossomed on the sheets. Sesshomaru called for a doctor blindly as he tried in vain to calm his screaming wife. A doctor and several nurses ran in and Sesshomaru looked at them in relief...till the male doctor was pushing him out of the way.

"Please!" the doctor shouted, turning accusatory blue eyes on Sesshomaru. "You're upsetting her, you need to leave, sir!"

Again hearing his voice as if he were an outsider, Sesshomaru heard himself say indignantly, "She is my wife."

The doctor gritted his teeth, "Your presence upsets your wife and if she continues to- goddamnit, I haven't got the time for this! Nurse!" Sesshomaru felt himself being pushed out of the room by a nurse who shouted about an emergency and how continued hemorrhaging could kill her. Moments later, Ayame was rushed from the recovery room and back towards the operation theatre. Sesshomaru stood in silence in the hallway, his hands shaking and his chest aching.

What had he done to deserve this? _What had he done?_

* * *

 **This is a rather dramatic beginning, sorry lol! Please let me know how I'm doing so far. I'm quite apprehensive about posting this story. The idea has been turning cartwheels in the recesses of my mind for so long, I figured I'd give it a go but sharing it is a whole 'nother beast! Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I didn't expect any sort of interest in this story; it's a little weird, ahaha! But I hope I can really explore the relationships in this story; I'd love it if y'all stayed along for the ride!**

 **Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed it. I hope the second chapter is to your liking as well!**

* * *

 _Rin balanced carefully on the stool, her legs shaking slightly in apprehension. Yet, she dutifully clutched her paintbrush and made wide strokes with a pearly cerulean on the white wall. Below her, her mother watched nervously. Rin's mother's hands hovered over her calves, ready to steady her daughter if she lost her balance. Straining on her tiptoes, Rin spread color on the ceiling._

" _Mom, can you hand me that pink?" Rin grunted as she righted herself._

 _Rin's mother looked nervously at the paint, then at her daughter, "Baby, do you need to be doing this right now?"_

 _Rin looked down at her mother and sighed, "Yes, Mom, I do. Daddy and I always work on it together on Saturdays. I need to do it even when he isn't here."_

 _Her mother flinched, "I know but it makes me nervous when you paint the ceiling directly like that. You're not as tall as your dad."_

" _Should I wear heels to make myself taller and then try to paint the ceiling?"_

" _RIN, NO."_

 _Rin laughed uproariously._

The dream left an ache in her heart and tears unshed in her eyes. When Rin was thirteen, her father had departed on a business trip, or rather what he said was a business trip, and never returned. Instead, he sent a letter to Rin's mother a week later apologizing. Sometimes, she dreamt of the day the letter had come. However it was never a dream of the moment the letter arrived- instead it was painting the mural on their ceiling with her mother, or eating macaroni and cheese with hot dogs while they talked about how to surprise dad when he came back, or singing along to Sting on the radio. It was as if her brain was trying to make the day seem better, but instead it made the pain worse. Rin closed her eyes, images of the dream fresh in her mind. Tears rolled down the sides of her face and pooled near her ears. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

It always took her time to recover after such a dream and it was no different this time. Sighing in a resigned manner, Rin forced herself to sit up. A glance at the clock had her cursing and stumbling out of bed, tripping on the blanket and causing it to constrict her legs.

"Fuck! Damn it, Rin!" She exclaimed, almost falling flat on her face.

"Rin?" a groggy voice almost gave Rin a heart attack before she recognized it. Kohaku sat up in bed, hair disheveled and eyes squinty with exhaustion. "You okay?"

Rin stared at her boyfriend exasperatedly, "When did you get home?!" The two had started living together almost a year ago, but their schedules were still not in alignment with each other. Kohaku worked crazy hours as a cop, and Rin's days began around 4am and finished at 2pm. Needless to say, there were times the couples' clashing schedule caused trouble in paradise.

"Uhhh," Kohaku looked at the clock and yawned. "About two hours ago? By the way, Babe, aren't you late? It's already 4:30."

"SHIT, YES." Rin struggled out of the blanket and sprinted to the restroom. She returned not ten minutes later, a toothbrush jammed into her mouth, her hair wet, and clad in nothing but her underwear. Panic made her clumsy as she stumbled to their wardrobe. She pulled out a pair of black jeans and a white button-up tank. Kohaku watched her in amused silence as she yanked on her jeans and tried to wiggle into the tank top. Mumbled curses slipped from around her toothbrush when she stuck her head through an arm hole.

Kohaku laughed loudly at her antics and Rin pulled the toothbrush from her mouth before pointing it menacingly towards her boyfriend, "Stob labbing, ashho'" Her words sounded muddled due to the toothpaste and spit almost dripped down her chin. Rather than "stobbing", Kohaku laughed louder. Huffing indignantly, Rin ran a towel violently through her hair and finished brushing her teeth. Not bothering to brush her hair, Rin slipped her feet into ballet flats and grabbed her purse.

The clock read 4:45am as Rin ran out of the bedroom, calling out to Kohaku as she made for the front door, "Go back to sleep, bye babe! Love you!" The door slammed behind her before she could hear Kohaku's answer.

She bounced on her heels as she waited for the bus, checking her phone constantly. While it was true that Rin was her own boss, she also set very strict standards for herself. She came into work every day at 5am to do last minute preparations and frosting with Kagome (who came in at 4am to start the baking) before opening the shop at 6am. It seemed the universe was against Rin that day; instead of the bus arriving at 4:50am like it was supposed to, it pulled in five minutes late. Sighing out an exasperated 'finally!', Rin climbed the steps onto the bus...

Moping as she donned her apron she apologized once again, "I'm sorry for being late, Kagome…"

Kagome, who was currently fighting with dough, smacked her hands violently into the squishy material, "Good lord, girl, you were five minutes late! It's not the end of the world! You're your own boss- chill, alright?" Despite Kagome's kindness, Rin continued to feel uneasy; she was the kind of girl who knew exactly how she wanted her life to go. After her father left and the death of her mother, Rin had an almost obsessive need to know _exactly_ how her life would pan out.

"I know but...well, you know how I am! Everything has to go according to plan." Rin said, running her hands over the front of her black apron.

It had been going pretty well in terms of the big picture; she and Kohaku had known each other for four years, they had started dating two years ago just as she had wanted, they had moved in a year ago also as she had willed it, Kohaku was going to propose soon (it was exactly according to her plan), and they would enjoy married life or a year before Rin would get pregnant with their first child (a daughter named Haruka), and they would live happily ever after with a wildly successful La Belle and Kohaku as an incredibly accomplished detective. So yes, Rin had done some major planning and had some expectations for her life but that was normal, right?

"Babe, you're such a control freak," Kagome mused, shooting Rin a glance. "Is that hot in bed?"

Rin faux-gasped and smacked Kagome playfully on her shoulder, "I am _not_ a control freak! I just...know what I want from my life. Ain't nothing wrong with that." Kagome chortled out a 'yeah right' as Rin shook her head and unlocked the door to La Belle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was out for a run. Like, _really out for a run._ The man was outrunning every jogger, biker- hell- _driver,_ he happened upon. Running off his stress wasn't exactly productive, but it was helpful. He had raced along the shore, out onto the docks, and now he jogged through the streets. Drenched in sweat and panting, he paused near a lamppost to catch his breath.

Now, Sesshomaru's life was currently in shambles- his father had just died, his brother was missing, his wife had suffered a miscarriage, and he was in danger of losing his birth right. Frankly, things were shitty as fuck and Sesshomaru had a lot to deal with. He knew he had to put aside his grief for his lost baby, and focus on the terms of his father's will...but that was so hard.

Losing a child isn't an easy thing, he realized, and dealing with it was even harder than the actual loss of life. For the past six months, his married life had revolved around their baby- this life that he and Ayame were bringing into the world- but now...now it was like their marriage was empty. He had visited Ayame several times in the past week and half she had been at the hospital, but it was like visiting a ghost.

His wife was a mess; she barely ate, barely slept, and when she did speak, she sounded as if she would burst into tears...then she _would_ burst into tears. Sesshomaru felt it was his duty to stand by her through this, but he was entirely useless to her. He did not know how to help her feel better. Rather, he hardly knew his wife- it had been a political marriage.

Ayame's father had been a hotelier as well, the CEO of the Western Lands Group. By marrying Ayame, Sesshomaru had not only joined the Taisho and Sawamura clans, but had also joined the Taisho Group and the Western Lands Group in a horizontal merger under the Taisho Group title. It was the biggest hotel merger in history, a truly phenomenal deal worth billions. Ayame and Sesshomaru both were simply satisfying their duty as eldest offspring by marrying one another, securing the deal further with marital bonds. The two had never really warmed to one another, despite three years of marriage.

They supported each other, sure but when it came down to it, Ayame and Sesshomaru knew nothing about one another. They knew how to conduct business, they knew how to be formal, even how to _raise_ a family- but they did not know how to _be_ a family. And now after the loss of their baby, the only thing that had kept their marriage emotional, it was as if they were two strangers again.

There in the street, his legs burning and heart thudding, Sesshomaru remembered what it had been like when Ayame was still pregnant. For a moment, it was like all the joy in the world was theirs- they talked about what color the baby's room should be, names, cribs, strollers. That was the first time Sesshomaru had seen Ayame's genuine smile and it had caused affection to blossom like a rose in his heart. He still didn't love her, but for a moment he felt like their joint love for their bay was enough to warm their cold marriage.

Other than the state of his marriage, little had changed for Sesshomaru. He had hired a private investigator to find his little brother, but other than that, he hadn't made a clear effort to carry out anything stated in the will. Of course, there was more that the core that Miroku had relayed to him. His father had had years to refine the damn thing, so there were layers in it...like a gross onion.

The tinkling sound of a bell and the creak of a door opening snapped Sesshomaru from his reverie. A woman was peeking out of a little coffee shop, a wide smile on her face.

* * *

Rin could hardly believe it... _a person was standing in front of their La Belle, waiting for it open._ Or, at least, that's what she told herself. But what a person this was, truly the epitome of the male gender- a great physique outlined by his sweat drenched clothes, a face that made her weak at the knees, and eyes that glowed like molten gold. Wow, _wow,_ _ **wow.**_ He looked like some kind of model. How great would that be?! A _model,_ a _famous person_ waiting for lil' ol' La Belle to open up.

Feeling giddy and sounding it too, Rin waved a little to the man, "Hiiiii! Would you like to come in? The muffins just came out of the oven! You wanna get 'em while they're hot, they taste the best that way!" The man arched a perfect eyebrow at Rin, his face otherwise expressionless, and made his way towards the doorway. Squealing excitedly, Rin hopped backwards into the store and turned aggressively, "KAGOME! We have a customer!"

Kagome's head popped out from behind the counter, a stupid grin on her face at the sight of the tall, topaz eyed man, "WELCOME, OH MY GOD. I'll get the muffins, please don't go anywhere!" The brunette ran towards the back room, almost ripping off the french doors in her enthusiasm.

Rin turned to look at the very tall, very handsome man with a sheepish grin, "Sorry, we're a little excited. We're new...ish...and you're the first real customer we've seen in three days," Kohaku and Kagome's parents didn't exactly count. Rin stuck out her hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Rin, that was Kagome, and this-" she gestured around the shop. "-is La Belle! How do ya take your coffee?"

The man cleared his throat and gave La Belle a once over. He seemed rather unimpressed, but he said nothing. It caused Rin to wilt a little and her smile to falter but she was glad when he took her hand and gave it a firm shake, "I take my coffee black. Additionally, I will take two muffins."

"Alrighty, gotcha! Oh, do you have a nut allergy?" Rin bubbled, taking note of his muted "no" before rushing off to the back to prepare his coffee. As she stepped in through the french doors, she saw Kagome fanning the hot muffins to cool them a bit before Rin could glaze them. She looked up as Rin entered and screamed soundlessly, mouthing an 'oh my GOD!" that Rin returned with a mouthed 'I knooooow!'.

'He's so HOT!' Kagome mouthed, fanning herself and pretending to faint. Rin laughed soundlessly and nodded before gesturing to Kagome to calm down and do her job. Quickly, Rin prepared the man's coffee. She took special care in using their best dark roast and carefully distributed the flavour in the way she poured the water over the crushed beans. She added a touch of hazelnut to the dark coffee for dimension and a sprinkle of vanilla, she also drew a small smiley face in chocolate sauce on the edge of the saucer the cup would be placed on. Sure, the guy asked for black joe but he looked like he could use a little bit of flavour in his life. Next, Rin grabbed the tray of Muffins from Kagome and carefully began glazing them with the special praline glaze she made. She hummed along with _When I'm Sixty-four_ as it played on their shitty boombox. Finally content with the coffee and the muffins, she placed them on a tray, shot Kagome a thumbs-up, and stepped out of the doors.

The man had seated himself in one of the beautiful wrought iron chairs, behind a matching table. Rin was quite proud of the furniture in La Belle, as she had made it herself. The wrought iron chairs and tables were carefully crafted and each a little bit different- like snowflakes. The furniture, despite being of metal, managed to be perfectly comfortable as the cushions were plush and the chairs hugged the body just right. She had made the furniture at the art center while she was still in college; metalwork had been her passion for a bit, then oil paints, and now food art. Art in general was Rin's true calling.

"You comfy?" she inquired with a smile as she set his order on the table.

"Surprisingly, yes." The man stated. Uh, okay, that was a tiny bit rude...but at least he was comfortable! He didn't talk much, did he? And why was he so expressionless? A robot maybe? Rin laughed internally. She smiled as she fancied herself Sarah Connor and straightened a little at the thought.

"Great! Hope you enjoy!" Rin beamed. "By the way, I didn't catch your name! We print first names on the receipt, so if you wouldn't mind…?" She stood poised with a small pad and a pen.

The man took a sip of coffee, his eyebrows raising slightly at the uniquely rich flavour, "It's Sesshomaru." Rin was immediately confounded. Sesshomaru? Really?! More like the toughest friggin' name to spell in the world.

"Oh man, I might end up butchering it." Rin stated sincerely, scrawling it on her notepad before showing it to the man. She winced and waited for him to yell at her for ruining his name forever.

Instead, she was graced with an almost imperceptible raising of the corner of his lips, "Yes, that's correct."

She punched the air and threw her head back, "Heck yeah! I'm a master speller." She held up her hand for a high five before catching herself and clearing her throat awkwardly. "Sorry...I'm just super glad you're here."

Normally, Sesshomaru would've found all this pretty irritating but instead he felt charmed by the shop and it's inhabitants. They were eccentric, but in the best way. The cafe was warm, well-loved, the muffins were excellent, and the coffee...the coffee was the best part. It was three-dimensional in a way that Sesshomaru hadn't known possible and the hint of hazelnut and vanilla aftertaste was truly excellent. In fact, Sesshomaru had been thoroughly impressed by the ambiance of the cafe the moment he had walked in.

"No, that's quite alright." He said, taking another sip of his coffee. He looked up at Rin from where he sat and nodded at his breakfast. "The coffee here is excellent, as are the muffins."

Rin uttered a high pitched 'really?' before clearing her throat, "Thank you sooo much!"

"I'll be sure to refer my colleagues to your cafe." Sesshomaru placed the coffee cup back on the saucer before he noticed the little chocolate smiley face, "...In fact, how would you feel about catering a business meeting at the Taisho Towers?" He looked up at Rin, awaiting her answer. He knew he would have to host the board and the shareholders for the _official_ reading of his father's will and why not help out this poor struggling cafe?

Rin was thoroughly freaking out. She leaned forward a little before whispering, " _Are you serious?_ " Sesshomaru nodded slowly, a little bit taken aback by her...passion. Rin stopped herself from absolutely losing her mind. Chewing her lip, she gasped a little before answering. "It would be our pleasure!"

"Great," Sesshomaru stated, standing and walking over to the counter to be ringed up and grabbing one of La Belle's previously untouched business cards. "I'll contact you with the details."

Rin was screaming internally as she rung him up, making sure to spell his name correctly on the receipt before handing it to him. In return, he handed him the money, plus a generous tip, and his card.

The minute Sesshomaru was out the door, Kagome came crashing out of the back with a loud scream of excitement.

"I TOLD YOU!" She shrieked, shaking Rin by the shoulders. "This is the start of a steady clientele, honey! This is how we'll make ourselves known!" She snatched the card from Rin's hand and gawked at it before showing it to the shorter woman.

Rin squinted at the card, "Taisho...Sesshomaru? Why does that name sound so familiar…?"

"TAISHO TOWERS." Kagome screeched.

"Taisho...TOWERS!" Rin echoed, understanding dawning on her while Kagome nodded aggressively.

"The heir to the Taisho Group and the owner of Taisho Towers just fucking hired us!" Kagome sang, snatching the card from Rin's hand once again before placing a sloppy kiss on it.

* * *

 **The fateful encounter! Even I'm excited to see how this will progress and I already know, ahaha!**

 **Also, please forgive spelling and grammar errors, lol. I usually write these chapters at crazy hours of the night, so I'm sleepy af and screw up!**

 **I switched between Rin and Sesshomaru's POV pretty frequently in this chapter and I hope it wasn't confusing...if it was, please feel free to point it out so that I can make it clear. c:**

 **I really hope I was able to keep your interest, dear readers! Thank you so much for your support and for reading.**

 **Guest:** **I love _you_! Lol, thank you so much!**

 **Happytello98:** **Ah yeah, it's a bit upsetting, huh? Poor Ayame! Hopefully things will get better for her...thank you for your interest!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, dear readers! I apologize for this belated update- I just suffered through a rather grueling phase of exams. :c Hopefully, this very long chapter makes up for it! I almost split it into two due to its fantastical length, but decided to just roll with it, lol!**

 **The next chapter will (hopefully) be along in the next few weeks. As usual, thank you for reading and please leave a review commenting on or criticizing my work; I really appreciate it! You're all wonderful for sticking with me and I hope I can continue to have your support in the future. Without further ado; please enjoy!**

* * *

Rin had to lean back as far as she could to take in the spread before her. Sure, she knew it would be huge and beautiful, but this was fucking ridiculous. Leaning conspiratorially towards a gawking Kagome, Rin whispered, "Holy shhhhiiiiiittttt!" Kagome could only nod. The two women were pushing large carts that rattled with the weight of what they carried; Kagome's cart held trays of muffins, cookies, and other pastries. On Rin's were large coffee carriers filled with a variety of their finest roasts, several flavors of cream, different types of sugar, and chocolate/caramel sauce. The friends were decked out in their finest black skirts and white blouses and wore their hair in matching ringlets- though Rin's curls were already falling loose and back into her signature waves. Kagome's hair always held it's style, but Rin's long wavy hair was constantly rebellious. 

While the friends were dressing, Rin had compared herself to Kagome. It was a bad habit of hers to compare herself to every other woman to find what she was lacking. Kagome was tall and built like a model with narrow shoulders, a long torso, and shapely hips- she looked great in everything, especially the in the mid-thigh pencil skirt and white chiffon scallop blouse she had worn that day. In comparison, Rin found herself to be fat and drab; she was shorter and built rather thick; she had wider hips and a shorter torso with breasts that looked small in comparison to her big butt. Where Kagome's thighs were shapely and slim, Rin's were thicker. Rin's only redeeming factors, she felt, were her small waist and lack of cellulite. Rin had chosen to wear a black midi pencil skirt and (at Kagome's insistence) an off the shoulder white silk blouse that had belonged to her mother. She had excused herself to the restroom when she first saw herself standing next to Kagome in the mirror. She then spent the next hour sobbing over how ugly she found herself. 

Rin had suffered from confidence issues ever since she could remember; she was top of her class grades-wise in high school but at the bottom socially- she wore t-shirts, big jackets, and jeans that didn't fit her waist quite right but fit her butt too tightly. She had grown up poor and it showed in her wardrobe. She went to prom in her mother's old prom dress with Kagome (who had refused her own boyfriend to go with Rin) as her date and was ridiculed for it. She was certain she would spend her life without a single romantic encounter...but then Kagome introduced her to Kohaku. 

She had been blown away by Kohaku at first- he was tall, broad-shouldered, handsome and _so kind_. They were fast friends and Rin found that she loved the way Kohaku seemed to be able to see past her faults and accept her as the funny, talented, smart girl that she was. It was the first time she had felt like she had a chance with a great guy. Kohaku, in fact, had all of Rin's firsts- her first romantic hand-holding experience, her first kiss, her first time in bed...Kohaku's presence had boosted her confidence from where it had been in high school, but there were times she still felt inferior to the gorgeous women around her. Still, Rin was unbelievably strong and she had forced herself to get over it earlier that day and marched out to meet Kagome and head over to Taisho Towers. 

"I can't believe we're actually going in." Kagome marveled as the two friends strolled down the sidewalk and closer to the hotel center. The bus had dropped them off about a block from the hotel and after struggling off with their huge carts and in their platform heels, it had hit them immediately that they did not belong. Cars worth more than Rin's life were parked up and down the street, glistening in the sunlight. People walked with their heads held high and in clothing Rin could only ever dream of owning. And once the women were in sight of the hotel, they had gasped like they were looking at the eighth wonder of the world. The front of the hotel itself took up several blocks and was larger than life. Impossibly tall and imposing with a distinctly modern feel despite the traditional Greek architecture created an artistic and regal ambiance. Offsetting the distinguished theme was a fun, bubbling fountain reminiscent of the Trevi Fountain in the center of the plaza that cars drove around to be valeted. Gardens with multicolored flowers bloomed in panels and contrasted nicely with the well-kept, pristine green lawns. Modern pastel and cool hues made up the main building with corinthian columns adding a touch of tradition. The back opened to private villas that could be rented and a large play area with a pool, bar, sunbathing area, and festive palm trees. The whole thing sat on a private beach...and that was only what Rin could see as she and Kagome approached. 

"It feels like a dream, Kags," Rin whispered, smiling at a valet who dipped his head to her. "Is any of this real? Punch me to make sure I'm not sleeping." Kagome had just lifted her fist when they were approached by a rather frenzied looking little man in an emerald colored suit. He dabbed frantically at his misting forehead and looked disapprovingly up at Rin and Kagome. 

"Excuse me," he squawked, sounding remarkably like a disgruntled duck. Kagome coughed softly to cover up her laugh while Rin violently bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "Who are you? Do you have a reservation?" 

"Oh, uh, actually...we..." Rin flipped the breaks on her cart and quickly dug her phone out of her purse. Pulling up the affirmation email Sesshomaru's events assistant had sent her, Rin handed the cellular device to the man. "...are here to cater the board meeting." She beamed proudly and gave an excited little bounce. She shot a nervous glance at Kagome when the man scowled furiously at the phone. 

"This wasn't anything I was informed about. Sango never tells me anything, that insolent girl," He muttered not-so-discreetly. The name 'Sango' struck Rin as familiar but before she could ask, the man in the green suit was impatiently beckoning two hotel employees forward to help the women with their carts. "Follow me. The meeting is to start in an hour. I am the manager, you may call me Mr. Jaken. Your...supplies will be taken to the appropriate floor. You'll be given temporary visitors' IDs. Don't cause me any trouble, I have enough on my plate right now what with-with-with-the-" Jaken had been about to spill a crucial piece of information; the fact that Taisho Katashi had passed away and the turnover of power to Taisho Sesshomaru was causing a real strain on him and his employees. In fact, Sesshomaru had been adamant about keeping the elder Taisho's death under wraps, for now, to keep the hotel from losing business. Kagome and Rin glanced at one another curiously, but Jaken simply cleared his throat, thanked the heavens for controlling his tongue, and continued on. "I am a very busy and important person and I refuse to be inconvenienced." The trio came to a halt at the front desk and temp IDs were promptly distributed. 

"The meeting is in Mr. Taisho's office," Jaken sniffed importantly. "It's the 50th floor, just click the button marked 'office'; the office secretary will show you in." The women nodded in tandem and received one last disapproving glare from Jaken before they rolled their carts into the spacious elevator. A heartbeat of silence after the doors had closed, Kagome and Rin erupted in laughter. Rin clutched a stitch at her side and wheezed loudly as she tried to catch her breath while Kagome half-cried with delirious laughter. 

"He sounds like a parrot when he talks!" Kagome gasped between peals of laughter. 

"And what's with his hair?! He's got like four really long hairs and he has them _gelled meticulously to his bald head._ " Rin said, dabbing at her eyes carefully with the backs of her hands while Kagome continued to die of laughter. Finally managing to compose themselves, the women shot each other stupid grins and leaned back against the elevator wall. Rin watched the numbers slowly climb as they neared their destination, the elegant elevator music putting her at ease. 

"Oh!" Rin snapped her fingers at the sudden remembrance. "Does the name Sango ring a bell?" 

Kagome's jaw dropped and she stood straight up. Just as she had opened her mouth to speak, the elevator dinged into the fiftieth floor and Kagome shot Rin an excited look before rolling her cart out into the hall. At the end of the gracefully decorated hall was a large oak desk, behind which sat a pretty woman who looked up as Kagome and Rin exited the elevator. The effect was instantaneous; both Kagome and the woman behind the desk gave various sounds of excitement before hurtling towards one another like an asteroid towards the Earth. They hugged passionately; both in a half-crying, half-laughing state while Rin watched, completely dumbfounded. 

"Oh my god, it's been ages!" Kagome gasped, shaking the woman by her shoulders. "And why the _fuck_ didn't you tell me you work at _Taisho Towers_!" 

The woman responded with a lopsided grin, "I'm sorry! You changed your number and I just haven't had the time to drop by your house!" 

Kagome wrinkled her nose, "Why not just ask Kohaku for my number?" At the mention of her boyfriend, Rin perked up and looked between Kagome and the other woman. Upon closer inspection, she appeared to be Sesshomaru's office secretary. Rin realized that she looked very much like her Kohaku- the secretary's eyes had the same sparkle her boyfriend's did and their smile was identical. A theory was forming in Rin's mind, but she dare not speak up till it was confirmed. 

The woman rolled her eyes and sighed, "That little asshole never returns my calls. Brothers! Am I right? I swear, they can act like such babies, even when they're full grown!" Ding, ding, ding! Rin's hypothesis had been proven correct. Rin recalled Kohaku talking about his older sister and she remembered Kagome saying she knew Kohaku because he was the younger brother of her very good friend. 

"Oh my god, I totally forgot to introduce you to someone very special." Kagome gushed, shooting Rin a wink. "Sango, darling, meet Rin- your brother's girlfriend but ultimately my wife." Kagome laughed and nodded towards a starstruck Rin who was currently realizing that Kohaku's beauty obviously ran in the family. 

"Hi," Rin whispered shyly. "I'm so gl-" Before she could finish, Rin felt herself be engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. Gasping like a fish out of water, she hugged back to the best of her abilities before Sango released her and gave an excited squeal. 

"Kohaku has been hiding you!" She rolled her eyes and squished Rin's cheek affectionately. "But Kagome has told me how incredible you are. It's so good to finally meet you, honey." Rin beamed, thrilled that she seemed to make a good impression on someone her boyfriend held dear. But something in the back of her mind nagged at her...why had Kohaku been so adamant about hiding his family from Rin? In fact, Rin could not recall him ever talking in detail about his parents or his sister...in addition, they had known each other for four years and had been dating for two, but Kohaku had never invited her to a holiday dinner or a family event or anything. In fact, Rin was barely on an acquaintance basis with Kohaku's parents and rarely had had a chance to speak with them properly. Furthermore, Kohaku never talked about his life before he had met Rin. Suddenly, Rin was plagued with a terrifying thought- _what if Kohaku was hiding something from her?_

Before she could spiral on that note, Sango was ushering both women through large cherrywood doors that opened on a spacious, if a little clinical, office. A long, blackwood table with matching chairs acted as a centerpiece and sunlight filtered in through the wide, floor to ceiling windows. 

"Wow," Rin breathed. She felt herself drift towards the windows, as if in some sort of trance. The view was extraordinary. The ocean spread out before her in a wide expanse of blue, beautiful and dangerous all the same. The sight was overwhelming, to say the least. "This is incredible." 

Sango sighed dreamily, "Yes. Mr. Taisho loves the view- he requested this office specifically because it has the best view, you know." Rin's heart gave an odd jump at the mention of the tall, model-like occupant of this office. She had almost forgotten about him. Rin had to admit that she'd never seen such a beautiful man before; she was fully devoted to Kohaku, but finding Sesshomaru attractive was like finding a celebrity attractive- he was completely out of her reach, so it was okay to admire. 

The three women stood, enamored with the view for a few heartbeats before Kagome broke the silence by clearing her throat, "So, where do we set up?" Rin tore her eyes away from the windows to watch as Sango pointed out a corner of the room that Rin and Kagome could call their own for the next two to three hours. 

"After you're done taking everyone's coffee order and serving them, please leave the room," Sango said with a small sigh. "Only I'll be allowed in." When Kagome and Rin both gave Sango questioning looks she shrugged. "They discuss a lot of confidential stuff sooo…." Kagome and Rin both made sounds of understanding and set about unpacking their equipment. 

* * *

Sesshomaru and Miroku stood in awkward silence, both men slightly disgruntled but for two completely different reasons. Now, Sesshomaru's tension came from the fact that he was about to have a very crucial meeting with a room full of exceedingly difficult people. Though, outwardly, Sesshomaru was as stony as ever- as if he were a statue carved from marble. Miroku's anxiety came from the fact that he had convinced himself to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Sango, tonight. Unlike Sesshomaru, Miroku's nervousness was apparent. He kept anxiously touching the little velvet box in his pocket and his eyes were shifty. Rather than two people in the elevator, it felt as if there were three; Sesshomaru, Miroku, and their tensions combined. 

As the elevator dinged into the fiftieth floor, Sesshomaru broke the silence which made Miroku jump in fright, "Good luck tonight." Sighing at his own tension, Miroku murmured back a quiet 'thank you' before both men exited the elevator and made wide strides towards Sesshomaru's office. 

Sango greeted them curtly and ushered the men in, letting them know that the catering had arrived. Sesshomaru had entirely forgotten that he had personally requested the catering so when the first thing he saw when he entered were two familiar-ish women, he was a bit shocked. 

Especially when the shorter of the two approached him with a bit of bounce in her step and stuck her hand out in a friendly manner, "Hello again! I'm Takahashi Rin and my partner, Higurashi Kagome, and we will be catering this meeting." Sesshomaru was slightly taken aback by her forwardness. It wasn't normal for the catering to introduce themselves directly to him. Nevertheless, he took her hand with a little scoff and gave it a firm shake before turning dismissively away from her to address Miroku, who handed him a fat folder. Rin was more than a little insulted by his dismissal but stepped back to her original position with a shared scowl between herself and Kagome. 

"When is the board to arrive?" Sesshomaru inquired, opening the folder and scanning the contents of the first page. 

"Mr. Jaken said they are on their way up." Sango answered. She had entered and stood formally next to the large double doors, all her playfulness from before replaced with a cool mask of professionalism. Rin was quite impressed by all this; she was always herself, she did not have a different face that she showed...then again, she wasn't avidly involved in the business world like these people were. 

"Excellent, please allow them in." Sango bowed her head briefly before leaving the office once again. The two men stood in silence as Sesshomaru flipped through the folder with a deft hand. Kagome and Rin shared a secretive glance, both a bit intimidated by the atmosphere. It was difficult to remain stony in the current situation- for one, they were in the most expensive room of one of the most expensive hotels in the world; for two, there was an exceedingly beautiful man in the room with them who kept distracting Rin's attention; and for three, Kagome and Rin were preparing to serve a lot of very important people. Giddy with excitement, Rin gave an almost compulsory bounce to relieve some of her stress. 

Sango's return prompted an immediate reaction from both Sesshomaru and Miroku; the file was immediately pushed over into Miroku's hands, who then took a step backward, and Sesshomaru squared his shoulders and straightened to his full (and well over six feet, Rin noticed) height. Sango and Sesshomaru shared silent communication before she promptly threw open the cherrywood doors open further and stepped aside with a dainty bow. 

"May I present? Chairman of the Board Iori Bankotsu, Vice-Chair Honda Jakotsu, and the esteemed Board of Directors." Sango announced, her head inclined in a small bow and her hand extended as a group of seven incredibly odd gentlemen entered the room. The leader of the band wore a stark white suit and his right-hand man wore a powder lavender suit- both of the same style. The board was greeted by Sesshomaru with bowed heads and courteous handshakes. 

The man in the white suit, who Rin assumed must be Chairman Iori Bankotsu, seated himself in an assertive man directly at the head of the table and flashed Sesshomaru a rather despicable grin, "Let's start with the pretend necessities, Sesshomaru; I quite enjoy this caring facade you put on every time we have a meeting- frankly, it's endearing." He spoke with a leer and in a fashion that suggested he did not respect Sesshomaru in the least. 

In response, Sesshomaru's jaw had tensed to the point where a muscle faintly pulsed in his cheek. Sounding already fed up and with a distinguished undertone of unadulterated disgust, he replied, "Let's."

* * *

 **Well, that's a lot to take in! I know we haven't really hit the big plot point just yet, but this is all very pertinent in setting the scene for that big event. It's coming soon, I promise!**

 **Guest:**

 **You're perfect too, ahaha! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it. uvu**


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